Leeway-indicator



T all 'whom t may concern:

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.v

y A. A.w1LDER, 0E DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

LEEWAY-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 7,912, dated January 21, 1851. i

Be it known that I, A. A. WILDER, of Detroit, in the'county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement an Apparatus for Indicating the LeewaywMade by Ships and `other Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a plan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3, isa vertical section showing the vane drawn up when not required to be used. Fig. i is a `vertical section showing the vane lowered for operation.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the severalligures.

`My invention relates to an improvement in the manner of attaching and combining the vane-which passes through the water,

with the rod which communicates with, or carries the pointer showing its position,

above the deck or, inside the vessel, for the purpose of allowing the vanefto be` drawn up into the vessel when, passing `over shoals or, from other causes, not requiring its use. The said improvement consists in attaching the vane at oneend, by a pin, to the bottom of the rod, so that it is capable of taking a position in line with the rod or at an angle to it, a spring of convenient form, hereafter described, being attached toone side of the rod opposite to the direction the vane takes when in use, for the purposes, both of keeping the vane in position in line with the keel when in use, and holding it` secure within or above the keel when not in use.

To enable others skilled in the. art to make and i, use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is a tube of metal which isintended to pass through the keel ofthe vessel upward to the binnacle, its lower end being Hush with the keel, it is surmounted by a gradu` ated circular dial plate B, which should stand close to the compass. n

C, is a metal rod provided with a piston D, fitting easily in the tube A, so as to turn in any direction; its upper end passes 4through the index plate B, and is provided with a` hand or pointer a, secured by a nut b; its lower end has a notch cut in it in which a vane E, `of sheet metal is inserted and secured vby a pin or pivot 0, upon which it hangs loosely, the vane must be precisely in line with the pointer a, but stands out on the other side of the rod; a fiat steel spring d, is secured to the piston or to the rod C, on the side opposite to which the vane stands, this spring is bent at its lower end at a right angle so as to fit closely under the end of the rod C; when the rod is loweredso that its end is a short distance below the bottom of the tube, this spring fits close to the rod, against the back and under the bottom edge of the vane, holding the vane in a position nearly at right angles to the rod see Figs. 2, and 3, the rod hanging from the index plate, but` when the rod is drawn up to the position shown in Fig. 3, the top edge of the vane will be drawn against the lower `edge `of the tube, and will overcome the ling the action of the vane, enables it to be drawn up readily, to prevent injury by ac-` cident in shoal water.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Hanging the vane E, loose at the bottom of the rod C, which carries or communicates with the pointer, and holding it either in position for operation, or secure within the vessel above the bottom of the keel by means of a spring el, or its equivalent operating substantially as hereinshown and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed'my name before two witnesses.

A. A. WILDER.

Witnesses:

O. D. MUNN, S. WALES. 

